Shields column: Clipping grass and cutting loose

The Beach Boys' 2003 compilation "Sounds of Summer" features 30 of the group's biggest hits, including "Help Me, Rhonda" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice." The album is certified as triple platinum, having sold more than three million copies.(Photo: Courtesy photo)

When I was an apartment dweller, I never had to think about mowing the lawn.

Sure, when I was younger, I'd mow my family's yard. I'd pull out the trusty Snapper lawn mower, put on some headphones, crank some tunes and get to work.

Times change, but my approach remains the same — mowing is a lot more enjoyable with music.

My wife and I have a fairly decent-sized yard. If I'm going quick and dirty, it takes an hour to finish. If I'm wanting to hit all the nooks and crannies, it can take up to two hours. When it's hot and humid, you can guess which option I take!

But on a pleasant day, and if the mosquitoes aren't terrorizing me, I let myself get carried away with the music. If you get a nice breeze blowing on you and your favorite artists partying in your ears, time slips away, and the lawn almost seems to cut itself.

I'll admit it, I like to spend this summer activity listening to the SOUNDS of summer, and that always means the Beach Boys to me. Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, David Marks and a host of others have managed to put together a career of sounds that always, always, always keep me in a good groove.

Harmonies, melodies, moods and heart. What can I say? I'm a sucker for beautiful, amazing music!

Granted, the faster-paced songs definitely pep up the mowing. Catch a wave and I'm sitting on top of my lawn. Round, round, get around, I get around (my yard). The mower may not be a 409, but she's real fine anyway. And it may not be a surfin' safari, but the bushes can sometimes take on the jungle look. Give it a few days and a rain or two, and it's time to do it again.

The slower songs have their places, too. You can bet I'm keeping an eye on summer while watching the lawn. If the sun is starting to go down and the sky takes on that golden purple kind of hue, there's a certain charm to hear the low roar of the engine while I've got the warmth of the sun. If it's hot, I think about relaxing later in my room.

If everything is going well, I'm bopping along while pickin' up those good vibrations from the mower. Of course, the mowing occasionally can be a pain. A rock gets tossed back at you, dust gets kicked up, bugs swarm you ... you just might want to head to Kokomo to get away from it all.

After the long winter and all that snow, it's kind of nice to see green and be outdoors. Might as well make the best of it, and have some fun all summer long.

The great thing about music is that it's always there for you, whenever you need it. It lends itself to any activity. As the Beach Boys suggest, there must be 'bout a million ways to add some music to your day (from the song "Add Some Music to Your Day" on the "Sunflower" album).

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's probably time for me to head out and give that lawn another look. If it's looking shaggy, maybe I'll have some fun, fun, fun. Surf's up!

This is the opinion of music enthusiast and Beach Boys fanatic Chris Shields. Contact him at clshields@stcloudtimes.com.